After the fight, Gustafsson made it clear he wants a rematch with Jon Jones. / MMAjunkie.com

by John Morgan, USA TODAY Sports

by John Morgan, USA TODAY Sports

LONDON - A rematch of 2013's "Fight of the Year" is halfway to reality, as Alexander Gustafsson (16-2 mixed martial arts, 8-2 UFC) scored a second-round TKO win over a dangerous Jimi Manuwa (14-1, 3-1).

The light heavyweight bout was the main event of today's "UFC Fight Night: Gustafsson vs. Manuwa" event at O2 Arena in London. It streamed on UFC Fight Pass. The result clears the way for Gustafsson to rematch current UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, should he defeat Glover Teixeira in their April meeting.

Manuwa started quickly with a straight punch and kick to the legs at the opening bell. Gustafsson answered on the feet but then wisely took the action to the floor and immediately looked to attack the left arm from half-mount. Manuwa kept the limb safe but remained trapped on his back for much of the round. A late scramble saw Manuwa get to his feet with one minute remaining, but he couldn't capitalize before the end of the round.

There was a brief stoppage in the opening stages of the second round, as Manuwa received an accidental poke to the eye. On the restart, Gustafsson immediately pushed into a clinch, where a well-placed knee stunned his opponent. A series of pinpoint hooks then sealed the deal, as Manuwa crashed to the canvas, and the big Swede followed with more strikes on the canvas, forcing referee Marc Goddard to call off the fight at the 1:18 mark of the second frame.

Afterward, Gustafsson made it clear he wants a rematch with Jones, who downed him in a thrilling September 2013 matchup that wound up as a consensus pick for MMA's "Fight of the Year."

Gustafsson is now 7-1 in his past eight fights. Manuwa loses for the first time as a professional.

In the night's co-feature, a lightweight bout that on paper seemed certain to dazzle fizzled in the cage as Michael Johnson (15-8, 7-4) outpointed former training partner Melvin Guillard (31-13-2, 12-9).

Throughout the three-round matchup, Guillard waited to uncork the perfect power punch. However, the patience proved problematic, and Johnson seized the initiative with persistent combinations, refusing to let his opponent bait him into a fight-ending counter.

The bout was technical, if not entirely exciting, but Johnson walked away with a convincing decision win with score of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.